An Unopened Book #3

Do you want to be on the forefront of literature? Read the books right of the press, the ink still wet on the page? We handpick the best of the best of the newest of the newest books for you every week. Books that seem interesting to us and that you might like as well. Take a look at The Land of Steady Habits and The Way We Beared Our Souls.

You might know Ted Thompson from Ask a Debut Novelist on Little, Brown’s Tumblr. Let’s see how he put his own advice into action!

Anders Hill, entering his early sixties and seemingly ensconced in the “land of steady habits” — a nickname for the affluent, morally strict hamlets of Connecticut that dot his commuter rail line — abandons his career and family for a new condo and a new life. Stripped of the comforts of his previous identity, Anders turns up at a holiday party full of his ex-wife’s friends and is surprised to find that the very world he rejected may be the one he needs.

Thus Anders embarks on a clumsy, hilarious, and heartbreaking journey to reconcile his past with his present. Like the early work of John Updike, Ted Thompson’s first novel finely observes a man in deep conflict with his community. With compassion for its characters and fresh insight into the American tradition of the “suburban narrative,” The Land of Steady Habits introduces an auspicious talent.

A YA novel with an interesting premise, but one that could prove to be amazing or disappointing. Definitely curious though!If you could trade your biggest burden for someone else’s, would you do it? Five teenagers sit around a bonfire in the middle of the New Mexico desert. They don’t know it yet, but they are about to make the biggest sacrifice of their lives.

Lo has a family history of MS, and is starting to come down with all the symptoms.Thomas, a former child soldier from Liberia, is plagued by traumatic memories of his war-torn past.Kaya would do anything to feel physical pain, but a rare condition called CIP keeps her numb.Ellen can’t remember who she was before she started doing drugs.Kit lost his girlfriend in a car accident and now he just can’t shake his newfound fear of death.

When they trade totems as a symbol of shedding and adopting one another’s sorrows, they think it’s only an exercise. But in the morning, they wake to find their burdens gone…and replaced with someone else’s. As the reality of the ritual unfolds, this unlikely group of five embarks on a week of beautiful, terrifying experiences that all culminate in one perfect truth: In the end, your soul is stronger than your burdens.

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